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Re: More about the Feduccia paper

I have been following this discussion with great interest and have just a short comment. It is not unusual that the Feduccia et al paper is in a publication that deals with biological issues like colonoscopy. The editing, logic and method used to reach Feduccia's conclusions seem similar somehow to that particular medical procedure. (ie. you have to ignore some of the obvious stuff to go down the deep path of learning). This obvious stuff was worth noting but just for a few seconds just before he wiped it off the probe with a good towel. There is perhaps a reason that the data was interpreted this way. There is no other obvious explanation. What ever happened to peer review? oooopps that is what we are doing isn't it?

How obvious do fossil feathers have to be before the opposing forces (to obvious observation for what ever reason) give up the exercise? Heck, they could also be explained as a lot of Rusophycus pedicum tracks next to a stick way up in the mesozoic. (Paleozoic Trilobite tracks, (Marine Benthonic) preserved in terrestrial seds in the wrong era.) It is the same quality of reasoning.

Frank (Rooster) Bliss
MS Biostratigraphy
Weston, Wyoming

On Oct 11, 2005, at 7:52 AM, Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. wrote:

From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
Guy Leahy

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20051010/hl_hsn/ dinosaurbirdflaprufflesfeathers

There are times when I think the media interest in this subject is merely so they can use the "ruffles feathers" phrase in
headlines... Now if only the basal cynodont community would have a lot more attention: they could use "raises hackles"! ;-)

Also, good to see that HealthDay News is maintaining its fine tradition of paleontological reportage... Wait. HealthDay News?!?
"News for Healthier Living", according to their main page. Wierd.

(Not that I'm against such reporting or such, but it just seems strange to me that a news site organized around health has this
article in amidst their coverage of avian flu, SIDS, epilepsy, and colonoscopy).

                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
        Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
        Mailing Address:
                Building 237, Room 1117
                College Park, MD  20742

http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
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